Clair Martin’s Plaza Tavern (1932-1946)

Real estate developer Clair Martin opened the Plaza Tavern in 1932, a popular gathering spot within the Plaza's Triangle Building that was known for live music performances. In April 1938, Martin booked Jay McShann's seven-piece jazz band, marking the first time that African Americans performed in the Country Club Plaza. The club was only open to white patrons, but following the large crowds who flocked to see McShann's well-known band, Black performers would not be welcome as patrons, but they were hired to entertain the all-white audiences, including eighteen-year-old saxophonist Charlie Parker who joined McShann's band that summer. Very few Kansas City music venues or clubs were integrated, although there were several "black-and-tan" clubs that permitted white and African American patrons in separate sections. In addition, the area from 12th Street to 24th Street and Paseo to Prospect was home to over a dozen jazz clubs that catered to the city's Black community.

Clair Martin sold the club and his adjacent restaurant to Jud Putsch in 1946. From that time until 1973, the location was home to Putsch's 210, an upscale dining establishment that offered live music and was widely regarded among generations of Kansas Citians. Joe Gilbert and Paul Robinson followed Jud Putsch with Fedora, a French bistro and bar that was followed by a sports bar named after Hall of Famer George Brett in the early 2000s and the current resident, Fogo de Chao Brazilian Steakhouse.

"Clair Martin’s Plaza Tavern," Charlie Parker's Kansas City, Kansas City Public Library, https://charlieparkerskc.org/map/gigging/clair-martins-plaza-tavern accessed 8/4/24

Kansas City Public Library. Jay McShann Band at Martin's-on-the-Plaza, The Pendergast Years, Kansas City in the Jazz Age & Great Depression 1918-1941. Accessed August 4th, 2024. https://pendergastkc.org/collection/kansas-city-museum-union-station-kansas-city-missouri/kcma-pc35-1164/jay-mcshann-band-martins-plaza.